


the rain falls for you (the same way i do)

by Aseikh



Series: Fives Times I Did This Meme Correctly, and One Time I Absolutely F*cked it Up [2]
Category: Ranger's Apprentice - John Flanagan
Genre: 5 Times, 5+1 Things, Awkwardness, Crushes, Cuddling & Snuggling, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sharing a Bed, Tropes, no beta we die like [redacted]
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:20:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29112210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aseikh/pseuds/Aseikh
Summary: Five times Will and Horace crush over the other, and one time they actually do something about it.
Relationships: Horace Altman/Will Treaty, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: Fives Times I Did This Meme Correctly, and One Time I Absolutely F*cked it Up [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1843615
Comments: 6
Kudos: 21





	the rain falls for you (the same way i do)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [awildpanicattackappeared](https://archiveofourown.org/users/awildpanicattackappeared/gifts).



> This is part two to my 5+1 Series, AND a gift for Nia from the Ranger Corps discord server! I've been working on this addition to the series since before the first part was finished, so I'm glad I finally got it out!

The four friends stared up at the worn, wooden sign, noting the badly etched likeness of a something riding a fish. Will squinted at it, instinct telling him it had to be a doll, but logic saying that nothing should be riding on the back of a fish like that. Maybe it was meant to be a mermaid?

“The Hen House,” Horace read out loud, sounding fairly confused as to how the name and the drawing lined up at all. He kept his eyes on the board, even as he felt someone’s eyes upon him. He resisting looking down to see who, though, knowing that he would most likely be disappointed with who it was.

Will dragged his eyes away from Horace as the door to the inn opened besides them, revealing a crowded and rowdy taproom that seemed to have the entire town inside in addition to a good chunk of travelers. People were leaving, since it was late, but that didn’t take away from how crowded the room was. It lit up the four friends for a moment, off-tune live music filtering out before the door closed again. Will glanced back to the other two traveling with him and Horace. “With how busy it is, we’ll probably end up sleeping in the barn,” he said apologetically, smiling as if that would soften the blow.

Alyss shrugged at the same time Cassandra did, both not seeming to care. “Well, unless the two of you want to travel another hour to the next village, I’m more than happy to sleep with the horses tonight,” the incognito princess said, a strand of strawberry blond hair slipping from underneath her cap.

They all looked at one another, trying to weigh what the others were thinking. They’d already been traveling for some time, in a rush make it to Redmont before the end of the month. They were all tired, and a short night in a barn was better then sleeping in the woods again, especially with the encroaching storm that would inevitably tear down any tent they tried putting up. Will glanced back over his shoulder, studying the clouds that were roiling in the distance. In all of his years of training, those were textbook storm clouds, no chance otherwise. If he had been traveling alone, he would have knocked upon any door for the chance to stay inside instead of camping like he usually chose. The wind was already whipping around, snapping Will’s cloak and snatching at the edges of the others’ clothing.

Most likely, they wouldn’t even make it to the next town before the storm blew in, and that wasn’t even with a guarantee that the next town had any more rooms available then this one.

The courier made the decision, shaking her head and walking towards the door just as it burst open again, a bulky man stumbling out with another man, both guffawing and hanging onto one another. They didn’t notice Alyss catch the door as they passed, and they didn’t give the other three that were with her a second glance before stumbling off in the direction of a farmstead. Horace snorted, taking the door in his own hand and motioning for Alyss to go in ahead of him. The knight held it for the others as well, Will following after Alyss and Cassandra immediately after him. They were, of course, immediately met with the full force of a half-drunk town, brought in by a barely-decent jongleur playing a mandola.

From his vantage point at the back of his group, Horace smiled at the judgmental look Will cast towards the man, obviously mentally critiquing his technique and abilities without probably even meaning to. Horace had tried convincing Will to bring his own mandola along for their short trip, vying for the entertainment, but Will had avoided the pokes, saying that they wouldn’t have time or reason for it. Behind him, Cass poked Will in the back, pushing him forward after Alyss, who was already at the bar, speaking low with the innkeeper who was relaxing against the back wall. The Ranger pulled his eyes away from the jongleur, shaking his head to himself. The man was probably drunk, if not more drunk then the patrons that surrounded him, but that didn’t matter to Will—the man had bad form, simple.

Not wanting to crowd the already crowded bar area, Horace stayed back with Cassandra while Will stepped forward, being the one who was carrying the money for their group. Alyss, Will, and the innkeeper spoke for a bit, before, surprisingly, Alyss pulled the pouch of money off of Will’s belt, and paid for whatever the innkeeper still had. Will looked at her with an eyebrow raised, but accepted the pouch back without saying anything.

As Alyss got the keys from the innkeeper, Will made his way back to Horace and Cassandra, looking slightly miffed. He leaned in towards them, saying loudly so they could hear over the racket, “They had two rooms left,” he said, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking back towards where Alyss was still speaking with the innkeeper.

Horace frowned. “That’s good, though. Why are you—” he had wanted to know why it looked like Will hadn’t wanted to take the rooms, but before he could finish his sentence, Will cut him off.

“Two singles,” he said, crossing his arms and leaning back.

Two singles for four people. It was easy math to figure out why there was a problem.

Before any of them could say anything else, Alyss was back, grabbing onto the edge of Will’s cloak and pulling him in the direction of the stairs. He looked back as he went to follow the courier, the look in his eyes telling the knight and princess, “Let’s talk upstairs.”

The four of them bobbed and weaved through the rest of the room in a line, following after Alyss towards the staircase at the far end of the room. In a line, Alyss still in the front and Horace bringing up the rear, the four young adults slipped up the dark staircase and out of the crowded area. Horace’s stomach grumbled as he stepped up the stairs, eyes glancing back to see the plates of food scattered around the room. He had no doubt Alyss had probably skipped getting dinner in lieu of getting the rooms as fast as possible. They still had to fetch their belongings, and no doubt they had enough food packed to fill their stomachs for the night … but that didn’t mean the warm, steaming plate of roasted meat, potatoes, and bread wasn’t calling Horace’s name.

“What would you prefer?” Alyss was saying back to Will as they walked down the hallway, heading for the last two. “All of us sleeping in the barn? At least they had rooms at all for us to take, Will.”

Will knocked back the hood of his cloak, putting a hand on one hip as he followed after her. Cass and Horace glanced at each other, but let the two who lead their group talk it out. “It’s not that I’m upset you took them, I would have too,” he sighed, stopping in front of the door on the left. They were at the end of the short hall, Alyss and Will facing each other as Horace and Cass stopped to watch, fine with letting their friends decide what to do.

“Then what’s wrong?” Alyss asked, crossing her arms. She motioned at the wall as if to point out the weather they could hear starting to get worse outside. Strong winds buffeted the sides of the building, and even though there was no window for them to see out of, it was easy enough to determine that they had gotten inside just in the nick of time. “It’s not like the weather was going to wait for us to decide.”

Rubbing a hand on the back of his neck, Will looked over to Horace and Cassandra, his cheeks reddening slightly. Then, he simply said, “Nothings wrong, ‘lyss, I’m just trying to figure out what the four of us are going to do with two single beds.”

Horace had been thinking the same thing since Will had told them they got two single rooms for four people.

Logically, since none of them were in any traditional relationships, Alyss and Cass would share a room and Horace and Will would share the other. Just thinking about that had Horace glancing behind them down the hall, seeing if anyone was watching or following them. It wasn’t like he and Will hadn’t shared a room before, but there had always been two beds. The other option was that they could split into pairs, since Alyss and Will were fairly close, but not so much that they would share a twin bed together. And while he and Cassandra were also close, they were both aware that the other liked someone else. They would be comfortable in a room together, from his point of view. But then again, sharing a twin bed with someone was fairly … intimate, and Horace felt weird doing it with literally anyone that he wasn’t strictly in a romantic relationship with.

Knowing his friends, it could go either way. And seeing Alyss and Cassandra looking at each other, Horace realized he was fucked. Cassandra’s eyes were gleaming as she stared over at Alyss, who was looking back to her with a raised eyebrow and a small smile.

Once again, the four of them exchanged glances, the girls seeming to not be as bothered by their predicament as the boys were. Alyss raised an eyebrow at Will before looking directly at Horace and Cass.

“Simple,” she said, holding out a key to Horace. “Cass and I take this one, and you two take the one across the hall. You can either share the bed or one sleeps on the floor.”

Horace clamped his jaw shut, refusing to look up at Will. He saw the delight in Cassandra’s movements, stepping towards the door at Alyss’s back and leaning against it, almost hurrying the other three to finish up the conversation. Alyss looked back at Horace, who hesitantly took the key as he realized that there was no arguing with Alyss and Cassandra.

“I—” Will started, his words caught in his throat. His cheeks were bright pink, and he also refused to look towards the knight. Similar to Horace, the Ranger could see the delight in Alyss’s eyes, the mischievous way she backed towards the door with Cassandra telling him that they were both comfortable with who they were bunking with.

“C’mon, Will,” Cass said, taking the key from Alyss and unlocking the door. “How else would we have split up? Plus Alyss and I could really use a girls night,” she said, stepping into the small room. From Will’s angle, he could see that it was fairly small, probably about the size of his room while he was an apprentice, the entire room no bigger then a queen sized bed. The side of the room closest to the outside wall had a slanted ceiling, making what little room the space had all the more smaller. If his and Horace’s was the same size, it wouldn’t be easy for either one of them to sleep on the floor while the other was on the bed.

“Especially after traveling with you two for a week,” Alyss joked, following after Cassandra. She gave Will a playful shove before heading into the room, about the close the door before she paused, looking back at the two men who refused to look at one another. “What time are we getting up tomorrow?” she asked, looking at Will. Being the one to travel the most, they had allowed him to assume control of their traveling schedule, putting them at a brisk pace that was comfortable but steady.

Shoving his emotions down, Will thought for a moment. They traveled late and had rushed to get ahead of the storm before it overtook them, so they were all tired. It would be nice to get a few extra hours of shut-eye before continuing on the next day. Will glanced at Horace, who had turned and was staring wistfully down towards the taproom, his stomach grumbling loudly.

Sighing, Will shrugged. “It’s been a long day,” he said softly, looking back to Alyss. “We can get a few extra hours of sleep and take advantage of being at an inn for once.”

Alyss nodded, before turning and closing the door to the girls’ room. That left Will and Horace standing awkwardly in the hall by themselves, Horace still holding the key in his hand from when Alyss handed it over to him. They remained silent for a moment, before Horace held out the key. “I’m gonna go get our bags,” he said, not meeting Will’s eyes.

Before Will could say anything else, Horace was retreating down the hallway, leaving him alone in the hall. He sighed, turning and unlocking the room and glancing in, hoping that there had been a mix-up and that he and Horace had gotten a double.

But of course, there was no such luck. It was a mirror image of the one he had glimpsed behind Cassandra—barely the size of a queen bed, with the twin bed shoved against the right wall and barely enough room to stand beside it with the slanted ceiling. There was a side table with a wash basin that he hadn’t seen in the other room, but he had no doubt it was there. The table, also, had a small chair to go along with it, meaning that unless he curled up on the floor in a ball, he wouldn’t have much room to lay down. Horace’s legs would stick out the door as well, if he for some reason insisted on taking the floor.

Will took a deep breath, debating about going out to the barn and bunking with Tug and the other horses. It wouldn’t be bad, he thought, glancing back down the hall and then at the girls’ room. He knew Alyss and Cass would be fine, both enjoying the others company and being comfortable sharing a bed with each other. He and Horace, on the other hand … god, there was just too much up in the air between them now, and he wished that Alyss had at least taken that into consideration when she took the rooms.

Just as he was about to close the door again, footsteps could be heard making their way up the steps, cutting of Will’s route of retreat. He took a deep breath, knowing that it was inevitable that he would have to explain to Horace that it wouldn’t be easy for either of them to sleep on the floor. Before he could say anything though, Horace came into view, four travel bags slung over one shoulder, and a basket Will didn’t recognize in one hand. It was easy to figure out what it was though, considering the sandwich that was half-hanging out of Horace’s mouth. No doubt, he had gotten them from the bar downstairs.

Unable to talk, Horace winked at Will and knocked on the girls’ door to hand off their bags. Horace somehow handed over the bags without dropping the sandwich in his mouth, his jaw clenching so that he didn’t bite right through it and drop it. The knight then held the basket out, and Alyss and Cass both took their own sandwiches out of it, thanking him and then saying good night to the men.

Before Horace could turn around to see Will, the Ranger looked away quickly, not wanting to be caught staring. Horace slid past Will as he went to dump their two bags on the small bed, and he sat down next to them, finally reaching up and taking the sandwich to finish the bite he had first taken.

They both stared at the other, Will still standing awkwardly in the doorway and Horace munching on his sandwich.

“You’re still standing there?” Horace mumbled through bites of his sandwich, patting the corner of the bed next to him for Will to sit down on. Seeing Will still hesitate, Horace moved the basket of sandwiches onto the side table to give him more room, patting the bed again for Will to sit. “C’mon, Will,” Horace said, shoving the last bite of the sandwich into his mouth. “Take a seat, rest your legs.”

Realizing he wouldn’t get out of it, Will stepped into the room, already feeling somewhat claustrophobic being so close to Horace, despite never having a problem with tight spaces before. The last time he’d felt like this, he quickly realized, was when he and the knight had been stuck under the cart at Macindaw for hours, nearly on top of each other. Not wanting to make things any more awkward for them, Will sat on the bed with the knight, their thighs touching as their weight sank into the straw mattress. Without a word, Horace reached into the basket he’d moved to the side table, pulling out another sandwich and handing it over to Will.

“Chicken sandwich,” he said as Will took it, biting into it immediately. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was.

As he ate, Horace stood from his spot on the bed, immediately knocking his head on the low, slanted ceiling. “Fuck—” Horace swore, immediately ducking his head and putting a hand on the back of it. Will hadn’t even noticed the slanted ceiling, being too short to even come close to hitting it, but snorted at Horace’s fumble without meaning to.

“Oh, shut up,” Horace grumbled, stepping closer to the bed so that his head wasn’t scraping the slanted ceiling. His movement once again put them mere centimeters from each other, even as Horace started undressing.

Will looked down again, focusing on finishing his sandwich.

“Not a lot of room in here,” Horace mumbled, pulling his shirt over his head. Shirtless, he reached for his bag that was, amazingly, behind Will. His bare, muscled arm brushed Will’s arm, but he forced himself not to react.

“Yeah, I—” Will started, looking around the room, everywhere except Horace. God, why did the knight have to be so muscular? It was so … so disarming. “I was gonna say. With the table and the chair in here, there’s not really enough room for either of us to lay on the floor.”

Horace paused in his movements, a new undershirt on and thankfully covering his chest. He looked around them, apparently finally taking a good look around the tiny room they were in. “Oh,” he said, turning where he was standing and biting his lower lip as he thought.

Before Horace could say anything else, Will stood from his spot, the sandwich finished, and reached for his bag. “I was just going to go down and bunk with the horses,” he said quickly, “I’m used to it, and it’s less cramped,” he explained, as if that would get him out of the awkward situation.

Will went to move past Horace, heading for the door, but he was stopped by a firm hand around his arm. “Will,” Horace said, turning him around, “The barn isn’t much better then being outside,” he said, gesturing out the window at the buffeting windows and heavy downpour. Will hadn’t even noticed it, so focused on not looking at Horace. “There’s a lot of leaks and the horses are barely protected,” he said, “You’re not sleeping out there when there’s room in here.”

“It’s cramped in here,” Will pointed out, “and it’s not like we’re allowed to pick up the table and chair and move them out into the hallway. It’d be easier if you took the room and I—”

Cutting him off, Horace waved a hand towards the bed. “It’s big enough to share,” he said. Then he shrugged, “Plus you’re tiny,” he reached forward and ruffled Will’s hair like he was a child. “It’d be like sleeping with an extra pillow or two.” He grinned at Will, then turned and pulled his bag off the bed, throwing it against the other wall and sitting down to start unlacing his boots. Will was standing again, awkwardly looking around the room.

He was really trapped, wasn’t he?

He was going to share a bed with Horace.

Horace, on the other hand, was internally screaming. Why had he said that? He knew that Cass had pushed him into a corner, but Will had wormed his way out like usual and of course Horace had to come charging back in like a bull to stop the Ranger from saving both of their hides. Yes, all he wanted was to speak with Will candidly, but he also knew the Ranger too well and recognized that Will was probably avoiding him because something was making him uncomfortable. Something most likely to do with Horace.

Will took a deep breath, then threw his bag back on the bed. He sighed, recognizing that there was no way around this. He would have to share a bed with the man he’d been swooning over for the past few years. Alyss knew this, and was most likely telling Cass right now, proud of her plan to finally put the two of them into a situation that would make something come out.

Not wanting to make Horace feel unwanted, Will forced himself to act as he normally would. He forced smile, then shook his head. “And I’ll be shoved off the edge of the bed by a huge oaf,” he said back, hoping the banter would cover any odd behavior. He started to change himself, pulling his sweaty long-sleeved shirt off as well as his undershirt, fishing in his bag for the last clean one he had. With his face turned away, Will didn’t notice Horace’s eyes flicking over to him, his cheeks reddening. Horace looked away quickly though, not wanting to get caught staring. After he changed, Will reached down at unlaced his own riding boots, resigned to spending the night with Horace.

He just hoped he wouldn’t do anything to embarrass himself.

“You don’t want to sleep against the wall, do you?” Horace asked, pulling the covers out from where they were tucked in.

Will shook his head. He didn’t want to get boxed in, even if there was no reason for someone to burst into their room. Being put between a wall and Horace would basically ensure he’d be stuck all night. “No, I’ll have the edge,” he said, unbuckling his knives and quiver. Horace had already taken off his own belt with his sword, it leaning against the wall. With how small the room was, when Will went back towards the bed (not that he wasn’t already standing next to it), he nearly kicked over the weapon.

“Are you, ah,” Horace bit the inside of his cheek, suddenly feeling like this was weird. “Ready to go to bed?”

It was already dim in the room, no light coming in from outside and the sole candle being close to burning out. Will hoped that the knight couldn’t see how red his cheeks were.

“Yeah,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, I’m exhausted.”

Horace laid down first after blowing out the candle, being the one furthest in the room. The bed was barely longer than Horace was, his head scraping the headboard and his feet resting up along the wall. The knight put himself closer to the wall, once again patting the bed next to him for Will to lay down on. As he looked down, Will quickly realized that it would be less of a “bed sharing” moment, and more of a “intimate cuddling” moment.

Swallowing any second thoughts, Will laid down next to Horace, putting his head down on the pillow next to his old friend’s. The entire length of his body was pressed up along side Horace’s, and, even with Horace laying on his side, Will’s leg was hanging off the side.

This was a terrible idea, Horace thought, face burning. He was glad the room was pitch dark, but with how close he and Will were right now, he was sure the Ranger could feel how fast his heart was beating. Will finally moved, turning on his own side so that his back was to Horace and facing the rest of the room.

“Night,” came Will’s stiff voice, low in the darkness.

Horace laid silent for a moment, wondering if he could pass off having already fallen asleep.

“Night,” he finally said back, staring at the back of Will’s head. Despite his racing heart, the exhaustion from the day before them was finally catching up to Horace, and the knight closed his eyes, feeling comfortable enough in Will’s presence to let himself drift off.

* * *

Will woke to the morning sun filtering past the thin curtains hanging over the window, feeling something heavy over his side and along his back.

Horace.

The Ranger blinked a few times, looking around him in confusion. Not able to see the knight from his position, he looked down and saw the arm thrown over his side and hugging him, pulling him into Horace’s chest. For a moment, Will was convinced that he was still dreaming, feeling so warm and comfortable in Horace’s embrace that it couldn’t be real. Then the moment was broken by a slight snore from his friend, his forehead pushed against Will’s neck.

Will debated getting up, now that he was awake. He could head downstairs, get an early breakfast before the rest of his group woke up. He and Horace could avoid waking up like this at the same time, and just ignore the last night like it never happened.

Horace mumbled something in his sleep, shifting as he did so, and his grip around Will’s abdomen tightened slightly.

That pushed all thought about leaving from Will’s mind. He settled back into the bed, resting his head back on the pillow and closing his eyes. He felt warm and safe in Horace’s arms, and found that, despite being so anxious last night, he was comfortable.

Of course, not that he would say anything about this feeling to the knight.


End file.
